Foreal’s diary: My trip to OJB’s house

OJB Jezreel . Filed photo

On Thursday night, June 21, 2013 when the news of producer OJB Jezreel filtered social media, it was no surprise to me since about two weeks before, I had initially gotten wind of it and chased the story only to meet the denial of the producer’s friends and manager.

On Friday morning when I got to the office still with the intention to revisit the story by just making a few calls to people that might actually be honest about it. I tried calling OJB’s manager, Taiye Aliu once again to confirm or dispel the story but his phone number was switched off and so I decided to embark on my journey straight to the producer’s 4, Gbaja Street, Surulere residence and Studio.

Got to OJB’s residence at exactly 3:20pm hoping to find him at home or at least get to find out which hospital he was in, if he was in one. As soon as I entered the gate, the first person I met was OJB protégé and singer, C’mion. We talked for a while about his career, the music industry and finally, about OJB’s health.

Probably the first to speak-out about OJB’s kidney issues, C’mion admitted that the producer was indeed sick and in need of an urgent transplant. ‘That’s the issue on ground right now bro, we are just praying to God to find a way to help him get the transplant‘, C’mion said.

I walked into the sitting room where I met OJB’s wife and his three kids. Been at least 7 years since I last saw her. We used to call her Mama J (still don’t know her real name). I was glad she could still recognize me and so I went straight to business by asking to see OJB. I was told that he just went upstairs to get some sleep.

Sat down for a while, although feeling uncomfortable to talk to Mama J about why I came. I finally did, but not wanting to say much Mama J said, ‘Under normal condition, he should be in the hospital now, but he hasn’t been reacting well to the therapy and so we have to weigh other alternatives, that’s why he is at home now’,

Not wanting to seem like a bother I decide to take a walk and come back much later when the producer will be awake. I sat down at a nearby bar and took a few drinks before heading back to the house about an hour an half later.

While I was going back in, I met Baba Dee just leaving, and when I entered, I was told that OJB was down a few minutes before but had gone back upstairs. Seemed as if I missed him again, but I told myself I wasn’t leaving until I see him.

While I was waiting, there were some Zenith Bank officials that had come to help him open a new bank account where donations would be directed to besides the other UBA account.

As they were discussing with Mama J, OJB came downstairs again. I could tell he was indeed surprised to see me, because it has been quite a while, since I was last in his house or studio.

‘Bro, you still dey?’ he said to me, as he managed to smile. I smiled back and we sat down to chat. I expressed my sympathy for his plight while hoping he would open up about the kidney problem. ‘

I believe that God will see me through this. We thought we could do it on our own and so we were doing it silently, but now it is obvious that we need help‘, he said.

Although not really in support of the public knowledge that his failing health has become and too weak to chat more, OJB asked me to call up his manager Taiye Aliu for further inquiry.

I left OJB glad to have seem and chatted wit him a little. Mostly, I was glad that he didn’t seem as worse I thought he would.

Facts about kidney failure

kidney failure, also known as renal failure or renal insufficiency is a medical condition in which the kidneys fail to adequately filter waste products from the blood.

Classifications;

Acute renal failure this is quiet reversible if proper treatment is administered.

Chronic kidney disease(CKD) It can be the long term consequence of irreversible acute disease or part of a disease progression.

Signs and Symptoms

Symptoms can vary from person to person. Someone in early stage kidney disease may not feel sick or notice symptoms as they occur. They include;

Vomiting , Weight loss, frequent urination, blood in the urine, bone damage, muscle cramps, muscle paralysis, swelling of the legs, face and/or hands, shortness of breath, pain in the back or side, feeling tired and/or weak, memory problems, difficulty concentrating, dizziness, Low blood pressure and so many others.

Causes

kidney function can occur from a variety of insults to the body. The list of causes is often very long and they include; low blood volume due to blood loss; adverse medications that are toxic to the kidney, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen and naproxen, abnormal blood flow to and from the kidney due to obstruction of the renal artery or vein; urinary tract infections and a  whole lot of medical conditions.

Treatment

If underlying illnesses are addressed and treated aggressively, kidney function can be preserved, though not always improved. But in the case of chronic kidney disease, which is often not reversible, cell therapy, dialysis or a transplant is advisable.